Crossing the Line
When Injury Sets You Back
Ihad run just two steps along a snowy Saskatoon sidewalk when I felt a shooting pain in my right calf. Alarm bells went off in my head as I carried on cautiously for a few more minutes, trying to decide whether continuing to pound the pavement was aggravating my calf or loosening it up. When the pain failed to subside I cut my run short, turned around and walked home.
I was less than 16 weeks out from the Saskatchewan Marathon, and was supposed to be starting a week of heavy mileage. Taking that day off is a decision I wish I’d made last year when I was in a similar situation and instead chose to run through an injury. I ended up unable to walk and, as I watched the Saskatchewan Marathon from the sidelines, I wondered how my body would have responded if I had rested at the first sign of injury instead of pushing on.
Training for a race often involves existing on a razor’s edge: you want to push your body to its limits, but not surpass them and suffer injury.
For runners, injuries can be devastating. You may miss out on events you signed up and paid for months earlier. Your routine and lifestyle can be disrupted. If you train with friends or with a group, you can lose that social interaction.
Olympian and former Canadian women’s marathon record-holder Lanni Marchant, who has had multiple surgeries on her hip in the last few years to fix a torn labrum, once told me she views getting injured like going through a breakup. I don’t disagree.
Some injuries, when addressed early, can end up being just minor disruptions. Take Malindi Elmore, for example. She was a favourite to win the Canadian Olympic Marathon Trials in October 2019, but dropped out a week before the race with a hamstring injury. After a few weeks off, she returned to training, and when she lined up for the Houston Marathon three months later, set a new Canadian record. Who knows what would have happened if she had stuck with her initial plan and run through her injury at the trials?
Being sidelined with injuries is miserable, but it also presents opportunities for runners to come back to the sport smarter and stronger. After Marchant had surgery in 2018, she made regular trips to Saskatoon to train with sport physiotherapist Bruce Craven. She wanted to start running right away post-surgery, but Craven told her she had to stop running for a while if she wanted to get her old speed back. With Craven’s guidance, Marchant has worked on perfecting strength training, running form and prehab exercises. She has said she’s learned about patience and the importance of respecting the recovery process. She hopes to make the 2020 Tokyo Olympic team.
Similarly, Cam Levins, who competed in the 5,000m and 10,000m events at the 2012 Olympics in London, suffered a string of injuries in 2015. He did not make the 2016 Rio Olympic team, but he later went on to crush a 43-yearold marathon record in his debut at the distance in 2018. Last year, Levins told the Canada Running Series that his struggle with injuries made him a better runner. “I’d put everything in my entire life into becoming what I was, and I then had to accept that my identity might be taken away from me,” he said. His soul-searching redefined him and gave him an ability to run with freedom and confidence. He’s now one of several favourites to make the Olympic team.
I didn’t enjoy taking several weeks off from running when I was injured in 2019, but it made me a stronger and smarter athlete. I spent the time I normally would have logged on the roads and trails focusing on strength work, something that is still part of my routine today.
I also learned the importance of patience, something my coach has been trying to drill into me for years. If I want to run fast, sometimes it’s best to take a break from running altogether.
After a few days off from running and some massage therapy, my calf was pain-free and I got back to training in earnest. With events across the world being cancelled to contain the spread of covid- 19, I won’t be lining up at the Saskatchewan Marathon on May 31, but the lifestyle changes and lessons I learned from my previous injury may have helped me avoid a more serious setback and get back to running sooner. When my next race comes up, I’ll be ready to go.
Andrea Hill is a marathon runner and acting managing editor of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix newspaper